Drunken hitchhiker beaten and robbed

A Bluffton man told sheriff's deputies he had too much to drink, got in an argument with his wife and left their car, hitched a ride with strangers and ended up beaten and robbed Thursday night on Hilton Head Island.

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office investigators are following leads on the strong-arm robbery of the unnamed, 35-year-old white man, said Sgt. Robin McIntosh. Her Wednesday report included the following information:

Deputies responded at about 9:15 p.m. Thursday to an area of Muddy Creek Road and the man told them he'd been assaulted and robbed just moments before.

"The victim reported that he had been traveling with his wife from Florida to Bluffton, where he lives. During the trip, the victim and his wife had argued repeatedly until he finally decided to exit the vehicle."

He got out around U.S. 278 and University Park, the wife drove away, and he walked to a nearby gas station and asked an unknown black man in a dark-colored Mazda sports utility vehicle for a ride home.

He got into the SUV with the man and an unknown black woman. Instead of taking the victim home, they traveled to Plantation Pointe Apartments off U.S. 278, near Kroger.

There, they met a white woman driving a white Volkswagen. The victim and the black man got into the Volkswagen, and the victim was told they needed to make a quick stop on Hilton Head before they took him to his home in Woodbridge.

They eventually pulled into a driveway off of Muddy Creek Road on Hilton Head. There, the victim "was suddenly pulled from the vehicle by unknown suspects and thrown to the ground where he was kicked and punched. During the attack, suspects removed an undisclosed amount of cash along with the victim's wallet and cell phone. The suspects then fled the area in the Volkswagen, leaving the victim behind."

The victim walked to a nearby home where the occupants called for deputies. The victim was taken to Hilton Head Hospital and was treated for minor injuries and released.

"The victim was able to provide only vague details about his attackers as he was admittedly intoxicated at the time," McIntosh said.

Deputies searching the area located an unoccupied white Volkswagen Jetta that appeared to have been abandoned in front of a private home. The property owner reported not knowing who the vehicle belonged to and requested it be towed away.

The Sheriff's Office asks anyone who may have additional information to contact either Investigator Sgt. L. Albertin at 255-3413 or the Beaufort County Dispatch Center at 524-2777.